The Shortfin Barracuda submarine the French company, DCNS, will provide to Australia.
France is expected to be named today as the winner of the $50 billion submarine bid, pipping Germany and Japan to build the next generation of submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. The Australian understands that the prime minister Malcolm Turnbull called France’s president Francois Hollande last night to inform him that France had won the giant contract.
Mr Turnbull is expected to announce the winning bidder in Adelaide at 11am.
The decision means that Australia’s new submarines will be a conventionally powered version of France’s new nuclear-powered Barracuda-class of submarine.
This will be Australia’s biggest-ever defence project and it is considered huge even by international standards.
Construction of the submarines will involve jobs for between 1200 and 2000 workers in roles ranging from submarine design to high-level welding.
Treasurer Scott Morrison, who sits on the National Security Committee, said defence procurement was geared towards benefiting the broader economy.
“What’s important for our defence procurement plan is that we’re actually getting the technology and other transfer that occurs from being involved in these projects,” Mr Morrison told ABC radio.
“They are significant expenditures of public money and we will be focusing on ensuring that Australians get the real benefit of that for jobs and growth in the future.”
